The College Dilemma
by Canadian girl eh
Summary: Derek leaves for college. Chloe does not. Yet.


It has been a _very_ long time since I posted anything. Inspiration hit me today, and then died after the first sentence. The end result was this. It hasn't been edited, but here it is nonetheless. If inspiration strikes again I might see how it plays out.

* * *

Chloe let her eyes close, tapping a rhythm against her stomach with restless fingers. Around her, the sounds of preparation paused, before continuing slowly. The hesitant opening and closing of drawers. The drawn out squeak of the closet door swinging shut. The dull _thunk_ of lids snapping closed on plastic bins.

And then finally, a sigh.

Chloe didn't hear his footsteps, but soon the bed dipped slightly beneath her, and there was an air of expectation that surrounded them. Chloe cracked an eye open.

Derek was perched on the edge of his bed, an eyebrow raised while he waited for her patiently. Well, as patiently as Derek could wait. Like her, his fingers were already tapping out a nervous rhythm. They both seemed to be nervous around each other lately, unable to stop counting the minutes, unable to forget that they were on borrowed time. In the weeks leading up to Derek's departure, they had crammed as much time as they could with each other, sneaking out for walks at late hours, rising early to quickly run back to their respective houses. Ignoring the sympathetic looks around them, and the general understanding others had that they approaching their relationship deadline.

Chloe sighed this time and opened both eyes before turning onto her side, facing him.

"I'm taking it your done helping me pack?" Derek asked, gesturing with a tilt of his head to the boxes around the room.

Chloe shrugged. "You don't like how I fold."

"You never color-coordinate."

The edge of Chloe's lip inched upwards, and she pushed herself upright. "I can still be useful."

"Oh yea? How?"

"I'm the entertainment."

Another one of his eyebrows rose, but the comment had the intended purpose, as his face became lighter with equal parts intrigue and amusement.

"Care to expand on that statement?" He leaned closer, and she followed suit, looping her arms around his neck, and shimming closer with an ease that spoke of their comfort with one another.

"I think boy-genius can figure it out," Chloe teased with a nip at his lip. "And you better take advantage of it while you can. Because tomorrow, well, no more entertainment." She pressed a kiss to his cheek, playfully, before continuing lower in a manner that was a little less playful and more purposeful.

"I'll be back on the weekend," Derek reminded her, tracing the top of her neck, to the waist line of her jeans. When she hit a particularly sensitive area of his neck, he sucked in a breath of air and his hand dipped beneath her shirt.

"Mm-hmm," Chloe murmured against his collarbone, rising to her knees before swinging one leg one over each side of his, effectively straddling him.

"And every holiday," Derek offered, tracing the band of her bra. "And I don't have classes on Fridays. That's more time here."

Chloe ignored this, tugging on his shirt. He took the hint, and they separated momentarily. His top landed on the floor when a knocked sounded at the door.

They both froze. Chloe moved first. Straightening from her position she scooped to grab his shirt, face expressionless. She tossed it on the bed, and smoothed out her hair, back already to Derek.

"Chloe—", there was a pleading quality to his voice.

Not checking to see if Derek was dressed, she moved to the door, every movement deliberate. When she opened the door, it was with extreme gentleness.

Maya's face greeted her, brightening to a smile when she saw Chloe. Maya blew a strand of hair out of her mouth, and gestured to the cargo in her arms. The pile of boxes she held bumped her chin and threatened to tumble.

"Kit said Derek needed more boxes for the big move," Maya explained. "We had a few hanging around. Thought I'd drop them off."

Her eyes danced behind Chloe's shoulder, before her brows frowned. "Is everything okay? Want me to come back later?"

A look behind her revealed that Derek had continued packing, and his movements didn't exactly translate to a welcome.

Chloe shook her head, and reached for the top boxes, relieving Maya, and setting them beside down by a pile of packed bins. "Nah, we're good. I was just heading out myself."

"Oh," Maya searched her face, before nodding. "Well, I'll walk back with you if you don't mind."

Chloe shrugged. "Sure." She turned to Derek. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Of course, but listen, Chloe—"

"See you then."

With his eyes on her back, Chloe practically fled.


End file.
